Aprilia aim high with new tech

BT Sport’s Michael Laverty on why Aprilia have it all to do with a new bike in 2020

Aprilia are the team with the most to do but with new engineers and a cash injection from parent company Piaggio, there’s genuine excitement heading into 2020.

Their current engine lacks power. Aprilia have persisted with a narrow angle V4 but its perceived advantages have not converted into track performance. For 2020 they will switch to a wider V4, with rumours suggesting they’ll follow other V4s (Honda, Ducati and KTM), by switching to a completely redesigned 90 degree V4. Aprilia have worked hard on their electronic strategies, having been unable to extract maximum acceleration in 2019 due to the throttle disconnect riders experienced with the Magneti Marelli system. Chassis-wise they can be competitive especially over a single lap but have yet to land that sweet spot where performance is stable throughout a race. One of their riders’ biggest gripes is on corner exit where they struggle with wheel spin and have too much wheelie and can’t get the power to the ground. Iannone in particular has complained of a reducing fuel load making big changes to the bike. Aprilia seek a 10 per cent gain in engine performance and to do that are the only manufacturer bringing a completely new bike to Sepang in February. But expect some carry-over parts. Aprilia remain MotoGP’s smallest factory and the effort to produce a new machine is huge, one of the reasons why the new bike did not appear during the post season tests at Valencia and Jerez.